When thinking about body sculpting, your first choice is probably to visit a cosmetic surgeon for liposuction. After all, lipo is the most well known option for slimming and toning your figure, and it does deliver outstanding results. Yet, some patients may feel hesitant about committing to a surgical procedure, and are curious about the various alternatives to lipo that are commonly advertised these days. Are these as effective as getting actual liposuction, or are they just hype?
Eliminating Fat Cells
The goal of liposuction is to eliminate the fat cells responsible for causing the stubborn fatty deposits that diet and exercise all too often leave behind. In order to accomplish this goal, however, I have to make tiny incisions in order to get access to those fat cells and then suction them away.
Liposuction alternatives claim to eliminate the fat cells without the need for incisions, through an external means of destroying the fat cells and then allowing the body’s natural elimination processes to remove them from the body. With time, this should create the same slimmer contours of liposuction, without surgery.
The current lipo alternatives rupture or liquefy fat cells using a variety of external devices and methods; ultrasound waves, radiofrequency, low-level lasers, and exposure to extreme cold are the most popular. The energy from the device penetrates through the skin without piercing it in any way to rupture, melt or freeze the fat cells. Finally, the body eliminates them over the course of several weeks.
The Bottom Line
So do these methods really work? Although the technology initially seems sound, the bottom line is that none of the noninvasive alternatives to liposuction deliver the same predictable, gold standard results that I see with traditional lipo.
Author: Dr. Joseph Castellano
Dr. Joseph Castellano is a native Floridian who grew up in the Tampa Bay area. After medical school and residency, Dr. Castellano returned home and has opened a practice in Tampa, Florida focusing on breast augmentation, abdominoplasty, liposuction, facelift, and eyelid rejuvenation. He is a member of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, American College of Surgeons, and American Medical Association
